The General Secretary of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Nana Yaa Jantuah, could not hold back her tears when she was discussing issues regarding the government’s debt exchange program.

According to her, it was unfair to allow old men to picket at the Finance Ministry against the inclusion of pensioners in the debt exchange program while the Akufo-Addo-led government mismanaged the economy by enriching themselves.

Nana Yaa Jantuah who was speaking on TV3’s Big Issue show said the government does not care about the aged whom according to her, have been treated unfairly.

“So, does Ken Ofori-Atta not pity these old people? How can he do this? You (Ofori-Atta) don’t even care. You made these old people come to the ministry and picket. You don’t care, these are our elders. It was so sad and when I saw them (picketing), I said what is the meaning of this,” an emotional Yaa Jantuah said.

“You have mismanaged the economy, made yourself rich, made your people rich, made everybody rich within your space and you want to treat Ghanaians like this. And you sit down and you tell us that you want to break the eight as if we are fools. How can you treat us like this? How?”

Pensioner Bondholders Forum, a group for the protection of pensioners with investment in government bonds have been picketing at the premises of the Finance Ministry against the inclusion of its members from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).

According to the group, attempts to have their investment exempted from the programme have proved futile reason for their decision to picket at the Finance Ministry until their demands are met.

“On 10 January 2023, we submitted a petition to the Minister of Finance to exempt all pensioners holding Government Bonds from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme on the same basis used for the exemption of Pension Funds from the programme, as the impact of the programme on pensioners who are bondholders will be very severe.

“We have as of today not been granted the exemption we requested. To further press home our request, we have notified the Police that about 50 of our members intend to converge at the premises of the Ministry of Finance on every working day from 10 am-11 am, beginning from Monday 6th February 2023 till our request is granted by the Minister.”

The deadline for the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme has been extended to Friday, February 10, 2023.



NYA/WA